New Jersey Looks at Hiking Its Gas Tax; Big Job Cuts to Hit Michigan Hard

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY
TAXES | Gov. Chris Christie and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto want to fund transportation projects by raising the gas tax 23 cents per gallon while simultaneously cutting the sales tax over two years from 7 to 6 percent. The gas tax increase would take effect July 1, while the sales tax decrease could cost the state as much as $1.5 billion in revenue. "It's a good sign to the public that while we're asking for some sacrifice on the gas tax, we're not deaf to the idea that taxpayers are not a bottomless pit,” Christie said. [NorthJersey.com]

MIDLAND, MICHIGAN
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | The state of Michigan received some bad news on the economic front on Tuesday with news that Midland-based Dow Chemical Co. will be cutting around 700 jobs, more than 10 percent of its workforce in the state, as part of its takeover of Dow Corning and its planned merger with DuPont. “Michigan has faced employment challenges in the past and while the Dow announcement is unfortunate, we believe residents will be well-positioned to find new opportunities as part of the state's continued economic growth," a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Snyder said. Around 700 jobs in Midland are anticipated to be impacted. [Detroit Free Press; The Detroit News]

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENT |  The Oakland City Council on Monday voted to ban coal shipments at a new deep-water port facility currently under development in the Bay Area city and that could mean trouble for coal producers in Utah and elsewhere looking ship coal overseas because the ordinance also applies to the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal. Supporters of the coal restrictions say the new ordinance will help improve public health along rail lines that bring coal to Oakland while opponents saying that the measure will inhibit job growth in a city where African-American residents, in particular, are in need of jobs. [The Salt Lake Tribune]

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
WILDLIFE | The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed that Washington state must fix hundreds of culverts that block salmon from being able to reach their spawning grounds. The case is the third that tribes have won in their fight to hold the state accountable for promises made in treaties signed in 1854 and 1855. Part of these treaties assured that tribes would maintain their right to continue to fish in traditional places. In its decision, the court affirmed that the government was also assuring the tribes they would still have fish to catch. Repairing or altering more than 800 culverts within the area in question will cost $1.9 billion over the course of a 17-year schedule. [The Seattle Times]

JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI
GUN LAWS | Republicans in the state Legislature here want to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon of measure that would relax gun laws, allowing people to carry concealed firearms without permits. “I think we’re pretty committed to standing for people’s constitutional right to bear arms,” said GOP state Rep. Rick Brattin. “I think the chances of overriding are pretty good.” Lawmakers have designated Sept. 14 as a day to override the governor’s vetoes. In a statement Nixon said: “I cannot support the extreme step of throwing out that process entirely, eliminating sensible protections like background checks and training requirements and taking away the ability of sheriffs to protect their communities.” [St. Louis Post Dispatch]

COLUMBUS, OHIO
JUVENILE JUSTICE | Quality data is in short supply when it comes to tracking what happens to the roughly 325,000 youths passing through Ohio’s juvenile justice system, according to a report an advocacy group released Tuesday. Last year, $150 million went toward treatment and detention costs for youths in the state. There are 88 juvenile court systems in Ohio. But only three counties there provided data on outcomes for youths who end up in those systems—like whether or not these young people committed new offenses or were charged with crimes as adults. The Juvenile Justice Coalition of Ohio, which issued the report, is calling for new, statewide standards for data collection. [Cleveland.com]

BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO
FRACKING | The Boulder County Courthouse saw its second anti-fracking sit-in in two weeks, the county’s moratorium on new oil and gas development applications set to expire in November. Anti-fracking activists would like to see the county ban fracking outright and declare itself in a state of emergency when it comes to drilling, but the state Supreme Court has already proved willing to strike down such bans in cities. Among the 12 people who showed up for the sit-in was an 84-year-old woman. "I've had an incredible life," said the retired Boulder High School teacher Jacqui Goeldner. "I can top it off with being in jail for a while." [Longmont Times-Call]

MUNSTER, INDIANA
CASINOS | Local governments in Lake County have collected about $1.4 billion from four casinos since 1996, according to state records. Three cities receive $1 from the admissions tax at their local casino, and the money has been put toward dozens of projects like Gary/Chicago airport improvements, Little Calumet River flood control, neighborhood revitalization and parks. "The projects have been very impactful, and you can see evidence of it," said Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority CEO Bill Hanna. "I think the money has been used very wisely to reposition us for a different economic outlook." [South Bend Tribune]